I didn’t read the About This Book for either of these until way too late which is how I ended up reading two short story collections back to back at the very beginning of a whirlwind overseas trip. I do apologize because while one was vastly superior to the other, they have both fully blurred together in my mind. I also can’t really remember much about either.
Perhaps the reason that Florida stands out above The Largesse of the Sea Maiden is that there was enough of a concurrent theme running through the stories that they stand out as a whole enough for me to recall at least fragments. Each of the stories in the collection are, unsurprisingly, about Florida or someone from Florida or a reflection on Florida. And as much as Florida Man is both a punchline and the greatest Twitter account ever conceived, the state is so vast in geography, environment, and demographics that this very diverse group of stories can be assembled around a single theme. It is a very well written collection if continually frustrating for me because I find short stories so very unsatisfying. I want more of a single story, I want to follow a single thread through to an ending that’s more than a culmination of words. The presence of such a strong theme may have actually made these even more unsatisfying than usual because they all felt like they could be a continuation of a story and then they weren’t and UGH. I like stories and I prefer stories that don’t end too soon. Short stories and I clearly weren’t meant to me.
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden … there were no sea maidens, to start with. And I can’t recall for the life of me what any of the stories were about. I think one took place in a prison? But I wouldn’t swear to that. There was a kind of pretentious air to the whole thing, the self-important seriousness of Great Literature Written By A Man. Good for someone, not for me.
I’d really give Florida four stars and Largesse like maybe a two and a half, but I’m feeling generous and jetlagged today.